Inflatable rubber article



F. T. ROBERTS.

INFLATABLE RUBBER ARTICLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR-3,1919.

1,385,9g5 Patented July 1L9, 19210 2 SHEETSSHEET l.

mvemtoz F. T. ROBERTS.

lNFLATABLE RUBBER ARTICLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. 1919v 1,385,095 Patented July 19, 1921,

Z SHEETSSHEET 2.

- wuawliot FRED THOMAS ROBERTS, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO PARAIIIOUNT RUBBER TED, INQ, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION OF Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 122i.

original application filed Au ust 16, 1917, Serial No. 186,477. Divided and this application filed April 3, 1919. Serial No. 287,288.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED THOMAS R013- nn'rs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Inflatable Rubber Articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to inflatable rubber articles having an inflating valve which should be of comparatively small size and must maintain a tight connection with the article. Illustrations of such articles are the bladders of foot balls, basket balls, punching bags and the like. The object is to provide a simple and effective valve and bladder connect-ion capable of being cheaply manufactured and applied, which shall maintain itself tight in use and shall require very little space.

Usually the bladders for such articles have been provided with a long, flexible stem through which the bladder is inflated and which may be bent upon itself and tied to retain the air. These tubes present several difiiculties interfering with proper high pressure of inflation and with the neat and 'proper lacing of the article. Accordingly,

a more specific object of the invention 18 to avoid the objections referred to by using a short, metallic valve and so constructing the bladder that it may receive the valve body and be conveniently secured thereto in an air-tight manner, with the valve projecting but slightly beyond the usual flap for closing the laced opening in the article casing.

The provision of a short metallic valve projecting but a short distance from the bladder has been a matter of considerable experiment and patents have been issued for various methods of accomplishing this. However, generally speaking, these have all met with the objection of great difliculty in securing the valve to the bladder and in making the valve small enough to avoid affecting the balance of the article and still provide for firmly securing the same. illost of such attempts have resulted in providing a valve and bladder connection which is so expensive as to be prohibitive for commercial use. v

M) invention will be hereinafter more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the essential characteristlcs summarized in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan or elevation of a foot ball showing the lacing opemng closed and showing the end of the cap on the inflating valve; Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a larger scale of a foot ball bladder equipped with my valve; Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of a foot ball casing adacent to the lacing opening, with the bladder in position but before the laces are tight ened and the cap on the valve removed; the remaining figures are all on the same scale WlllCll is approximately twice that of the scale of Figs. 2 and 3; Fig. 4c is a side elevation of a portion of the bladder adjacent to the valve; Fig. 5 is a similar view after the valve has been put in place; Fig. 6 is a plan of the parts hown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a cross section through a portion of a laced-up foot ball casing containing the bladder with the valve.

Describing, by reference letters, the foot ball casing shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 7, A indicates the casing itself, which may be of the usual heavy leather; B indicates the opening through which the bladder may be thrust to the interior thereof, C a series of large eyelets arranged in a row along each side of the opening, and D indicates the usual protective flap secured at one side of the opening, as indicated at D and extending across the opening beneath the casing, as shown.

The bladder itself is designated 1. It may be composed of anumber of sections having seams l and reinforcing end patches 1". Such bladders are closed when finished except for a small hole, preferably at the middle of one of the sections, and accordingly it is very difficult to secure any valve requiring vulcanizing a shoulder or a flange to the interior of the bladder or to vulcanize in position a valve projecting into the bladder. I have overcome these difficulties by the present invention.

2 indicates a disk-like patch secured to the inside of the bladder wall and having a tubular portion 3 projecting through an opening in the wall and extending a short distance beyond the surface thereof. A reinforcing disk-like patch at is shown as se" pan placed in a steam vulcanizer.

i cured to the outer surface of the bladder wall, this atch surrounding the tubular portion 3. 0th patches may be vulcanlzed to the bladder wall at the time the wall structure is vulcanized.

In vulcanizing the bladder soap stone or talc may be used in the interior to keepthe two sides from sticking together. The bladder with this contained separator may be laid flat in a pan of soap stone or talc and covered with similar material and the Thesteam heats the bladder to a vulcanizing tempera ture and at the same time presses the patches effectively against the wall of the bladder and vulcanizes them thereto. After vulcanization the powder in the interior is readily removed through the tubular open- The tubular extension 3 is provided for receiving a valve body 5 having a threaded exterior adapted to be closely embraced by the extension 3 and having an axial passage contracted at 6 to form a shoulder for a spring 7 bearing upwardly against the starshaped collar 8 securely mounted on a valve stem 9 rigid with a valve head -10. -The valve head 10 presses upwardly against a soft rubber washer, indicated at 11, closing the valve. The threads on the exterior of the body are provided primarily for a protecting cap 12, which is shown as engaging the upper portion of the threads and which is preferably provided with means for conveni'ently removing and screwing the same into position such for example as a screw driver slot. The thread may be conveniently extended along the body and there provides an eflective roughness with which the soft rubber tube 3 may cooperate to embrace the valve body in an air tight manner.

I have found the most convenient and effective method of securing the valve body in the tube portion 3 is to provide a series of windings 15 of rubber; that is, I use a rubber band drawn tightly about the projecting portion of the tube 3 and turned many times to secure high tension, drawing the soft rubber under this tension snugly into engagement with the valve body.

When the bladder is placed in position the valve body and the extension 3 project through and occupy an opening E in the flap D. The extreme outer portion of the valve casing may extend into the notches F in the leather casing which together provide an approximately circular opening to receive the cap 12 screwing onto the end of the valve casing.

It will be seen that by this arrangement 1 may use a valve body projecting outwardly from the surface of the bladder only a short distance (preferably less than the thickness of the flap D and the casing A), while I secure the desired length of the valve a bladder,

coacting with the threads on body by allowing it to project into the interior of the bladder.

In placing the bladder in position in the casing it is preferably slightly inflated to hold the valve in proper position and then the lacing is drawn tightly and secured, as

- plished, but the heavy folded stem cannot be thrust into the opening by the interior pressure.

It should be noted that this application is a division of my prior application No. 186,477, filed August 16, 1917.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is already bulging 1. The combination of an air container having a rubber wall with an opening through it, two rubber patches secured respectively to the interior and exterior of said wall about said opening, one of said patcheshaving a tubular flange, a valve body occupying said flange, and an elastic Winding surrounding the flange and pressing it against the valve body.

2. In an inflatable article, of the character described the combination a soft rubber patch vulcanized to the interior of the bladder and having an outwardly extending tubular portion projecting through an opening in the bladder wall, a patch vulcanized to the exterior of the bladder and surrounding said tubular portion, a valve body occupying the tubular portion, and means for binding the gulular portion tightly against the valve with a casing, of

the combination of a bladder having an opening, a soft rubber tubular member vulcanized to the bladder and projecting slightly body having a radial passage and closing means carried thereby and a threaded exterior, means for causing the rubber of the extension to be forced into the thread grooves making an air-tightjoint withthe valve body, and a cap having threads for the valve body about said opening therefrom, a valve and closing the passage.

4. In an article of the character described,

having a bladder and a casing, the combination of a patch secured to the bladder, there being an opening in the bladder wall, said patch having an integral tubular portion projecting outwardly from the bladder Wall in registration with said opening, a valve placed Within said tubular extension, the exterior of said valve being threaded, and means surrounding the tubular portion for providing a tight connection between said threads and the tubular portion.

5. In an article having a flexible casing and an inflating bladder therefor, the combination of a flanged tubular rubber member having its flange Vulcanized to the interior of the Wall of the bladder and its tubular portion projecting through the bladder Wall a short distance from the bladder, a valve having a body portion fitted Within said extension, means for causing the extension to embrace thevalve body in an air-tight manner, and a patch secured to the exterior of the bladder and surrounding the said tubular portion.

6. In an article of the character described, the combination of a bladder having an opening, a patch on the interior, a patch on the exterior, one of said patches having a radial tubular extension projecting a slight distance from the bladder wall, a valve body adapted to enter said extension and a yielding band given several turns under tension about said extension to cause it to firmly grip the valve body.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

FEED THOMAS ROBERTS. 

